Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayra San Juan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In May 2010, I unexpectedly lost my mother. I decided to quit my job and move back to Houston. I felt the right thing to do was to go take care of my stepdad. Even though we weren’t closed, I still felt the need to take care of him.
Five months after being in Houston, I decided to start looking for a job. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do but knew that I liked working with kids, so I decided to apply for a teacher assistant position to start getting some experience at a local pre-school. In March 2011, I walked into the pre-school and the first person I met was Lyndsey Ruiz, the Executive Director. One of her first questions to me was, “why are you here?”. I looked at her and broke down. For some reason, I was able to let my guard down and I told her that I lost my mother. She looked at me and seemed shocked. She said she had lost her mother a few years ago as well. We immediately became close friends. It was so nice to finally have someone to talk to and who understood exactly what I was going through. Our mothers brought us together. It’s no coincidence.
A few days after meeting Lyndsey, she told me that she had been thinking about starting a nonprofit for motherless girls that she would call Chula’s Mission. She named it after her mother Linda, whose nickname was Chula. Chula means pretty or lovely in Spanish. She asked me if I wanted to help. Without hesitation, I said let’s do it. We started working on our business plan and we decided that we wanted to offer cooking classes, therapy, financial planning, personal hygiene workshops, help with applying into college, how to apply makeup, wedding planning, and so on to girls and women of all ages. We wanted to help EVERYONE and do EVERYTHING a mother would do.
While we were waiting for our 501c3 status, I received a call from my boss in San Diego asking if I would like to come back. I said yes and I knew that by moving to San Diego we would be able to make Chula’s Mission happen. I felt I had more connections and support in San Diego. So, I moved back and not too long after, Lyndsey followed. That’s how much she believed in this.
We received our 501(c)(3) status and on April 15, 2015, we enrolled our first girl and mentor. It was one of the happiest moments of our lives. Our dream was becoming a reality.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road and it still isn’t. We are a volunteer-based organization who all have full-time jobs. It has been a struggle to grow. We want to help more girls and know they are out there but need to build more connections.
Please tell us about Chula’s Mission.
Chula’s Mission mentors and nurtures young motherless girls. Our girls, also known as mentees, are children & tweens; the age when girls are most vulnerable and in need of maternal support. Research shows that children who have lost a parent are at higher risk for depression, suicide, poverty, and substance abuse. We created to Chula’s Mission in hopes of reducing these factors by providing free support and life skills such as cooking, group therapy, a mentor program, and health & wellness workshops. Our mission is to help motherless girls grow into confident and resilient young women by supporting them with community, compassion, and mentorship. I think what makes us different from other mentoring programs is that we do all the bonding together as a family.
What I’m most proud of is that our mentees have been with us for years, and I’ve gotten to watch them grow into strong young women. The familial bond that’s been built through our workshops has allowed these girls to create friendships that have blossomed over the last several years. The same is true of the mentors in the program.
What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories is going to my first concert with my mother. She knew how much I loved Enrique Iglesias, so she bought tickets. We had such an amazing time. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to experience that with her. I still love his music and anytime I hear one of his songs on the radio, I think about my mom and how much fun we had.
Contact Info:
- Address: Mailing Address:
4231 Balboa Ave #480
San Diego, CA 92117 - Website: www.chulasmission.org
- Phone: (619) 839-9868
- Email: mayra.sanjuan@chulasmission.org
- Instagram: @chulasmission
- Facebook: @chulasmission
- Twitter: @chulasmission
Image Credit:
Pam Covarrubias
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